One of the new buzzes in IT is the concept of “Software-Defined”. We discussed Hyper-converged Infrastructure (HCI) i.e., software-defined storage in a previous article. Let’s now focus on another very important part of our infrastructure: The Wide Area Network (WAN).
Organizations typically need a WAN connection when they have multiple offices. Usually, a bank, an insurance company, a nationwide mart, a mining company, or even the government would need a WAN connection to ensure their IT infrastructure is centralized whilst providing the same level of services at all locations. Such organizations would usually contact a Service Provider to set-up the interconnection for all their offices or agencies. This provides a level of central control and security for the environment.
Setting up WAN connections means the Service Provider must ensure they have Satellite, Radio, Copper, or Fiber connectivity to the location the customer wants to set up shop no matter how remote it is. This comes with some high infrastructure costs that they can recover as they get more customers over time.
We must highlight that the WAN connections or links usually come with an SLA (Service Level Agreement) which guarantees availability and some level of quality among other things. Organizations are then able to rely on these WAN services which eventually come at a relatively high cost. What makes it even more expensive is that to achieve higher levels of availability, some organizations have to get two WAN links per site and only use one at a time whilst paying for both.
With the internet becoming more and more available for home users at more remote locations through so many means i.e. Copper, Radio, 4G/5G, and even Fiber, WAN customers started wondering if they could use common/cheap broadband to provide interconnectivity between their sites. Well, this among other things is exactly what SD-WAN comes to address.
In a world where organizations are being hacked all the time, it would be very risky to pass an organization’s sensitive data over the wild internet. You may say “We can use GRE or DMVPN with IPSec” but that means you may have to ensure you have static Public IP Addresses at each location and you have to manage all these tunnels; wait, how are you going to handle QoS? And won’t you still waste one service provider link on each site? Let just say it is a more daunting task to achieve all the benefits using traditional technologies. The future is software-defined. Let’s discuss SD-WAN.
With SD-WAN, the devices have 4G/5G integrated modules while still being able to take your traditional copper or Fiber. They are built to connect using both Internet or WAN connection together, and they are smart enough to not send internet traffic to your head-office unless you want it so. This means you can now build a remote site with just one or two SIM cards. Too good to be true? Keep reading…
If your organization policies still do not allow you to use the Internet to transfer sensitive data, you can still use SD-WAN over the WAN as it was built from the ground up to support multiple uplink connection and share traffic across multiple connections based on your defined parameters (path selection with specified thresholds based on bandwidth, link quality and more). You get to use both links in an Active/Active set up with Failover and Failback capabilities.
You must have guessed it. A technology built for this must be pretty secured. Yes, SD-WAN comes with pre-built security features (IPSec, High level of encryption) to ensure your data is always secured and tunneled while traversing the Internet or the service provider network. Technically the SD-WAN appliances are mini-UTM (Unified Threat Manager) devices disseminated at each one of your locations, thus protecting your local users from the Internet and also encrypting data in-flight towards your head office. This is a cocktail of smart features.
Obviously, with technologies becoming more complex, the manufacturer’s job is to make them easier to use and manage. SD-WAN vendors have done just that. You can usually set up an SD-WAN connection between two devices in a few clicks. Some of the most popular vendors such as Fortinet, Cisco Meraki, Palo-Alto, Sophos, etc. can make your experience enjoyable.
We cannot offer you all these features without a catch, right? As much as all the features mentioned work seamlessly and as advertised, the SD-WAN technology comes with subscriptions on pretty much every appliance. This means recurring costs that must be paid every year. That notwithstanding you will make some savings on ISP cost by ditching all those expensive WAN Links. Besides, you will greatly benefit from the enhanced security and improved connectivity.
SD-WAN technology is packed with everything that we would expect from a software-defined technology, creating virtual circuits over the Internet, protecting that data, and being flexible enough to use any type of Internet connectivity. It is a running train and despite the subscription prices, you will have to join it one day or another. Better early enough to match your competition.
Apotica deploys a large portfolio of Next-Generation technologies and is uniquely positioned to advise on the next steps to start your software-defined journey. You can request a free consultation here. To enquire about any equipment or software, call us on +233.54.431.5710 or write to sales@apotica.net.
Apotica, headquartered in Accra, Ghana brings together the best information and communications technologies to help clients grow, compete and serve their customers better. Apotica is an ISO 27001 and 9001 Certified Organization.
Matilda, a Chartered Accountant, joined Apotica in May 2023. With over 12 years of experience in banking, insurance, pensions, accounting and finance, she is responsible for the company’s financial control, strategic planning, management reporting, and overall financial performance.
She holds a BSc degree in Business Administration (Accounting) from the University of Ghana Business School and an MSc in Accounting and Finance from the same institution. Matilda is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana.
Matilda has attended the Executive Education course in Strategic Management at the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands and participated in other leadership seminars around the world.
Peniel Korley is Head of Marketing for Apotica, designing and implementing comprehensive marketing strategies to create awareness of the company’s business activities.
Peniel joined Apotica in April 2019 and has helped build our market presence through an adept combination of traditional marketing and digital marketing techniques, executing and monitoring corporate promotion campaigns, and conducting market research to help us stay abreast of trends.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Ghana and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the University of Ghana Business School. He’s a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.
As Head of Projects, Sylvester Kyeremeh is responsible for coordinating people and processes to ensure that our client projects are delivered on time and produce the desired results. He leads this function within the confines of our quality management and information security management systems.
Sylvester joined Apotica in 2017 as a Systems Engineer, before moving on to join our project management practice a year later. His calm and collected approach to interpersonal engagements, impressive sense of planning, and excellent communication skills continue to receive the plaudits of our customers.
Sylvester received his B.S. degree in Computer Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. He’s a Certified Information Systems Auditor, a Cisco-certified professional, an ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, and a member of the Project Management Institute with PMP and Scrum Master qualifications.
At 25, Millicent is currently the youngest head of department at Apotica, taking up this role in August 2020. She’s responsible for managing all aspects of risk to the organization, employees, clients, assets, reputation, and interests of stakeholders. Millicent also works with the leadership of the organization to embed and maintain a risk-aware culture in the organization.
Before joining Apotica, she worked as a broadcast journalist at Radio Universe – a popular media house in Accra. Millicent holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has attended the Executive Education course in Personal Leadership at the Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands.
She’s a Certified Governance, Risk, and Compliance Professional (GRCP) and a qualified ISO 9001 Lead Implementer.
Elom Kutsienyo is the Chief Technology Officer at Apotica. A technology enthusiast and Apple nerd, he is responsible for the development and maintenance of our excellent technical services capabilities and enabling our engineering teams to become adept at industry best practices relating to enterprise solutions design, deployments, and support.
Since taking up the CTO role in August 2019, he has strategically grown our product offerings through strong channel partnerships with leading ICT vendors. Elom’s extensive experience in product sales, project management, service delivery, and field engineering also helps as he oversees company webinars, product demos, proof-of-value activities, and technical proposals for clients.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Telecom Engineering from Ghana Technology University College and has attained several professional qualifications including the coveted Cisco CCIE certification as well as certifications from Microsoft, VMware, NetApp, HPE, and Nutanix.
Clifford leads the Customer Experience practice at Apotica which encompasses our consulting, technology, support, and learning services.
Prior to his position at Apotica, Clifford was the senior manager of IT Infrastructure at Stanbic, a leading commercial bank in Ghana. He has also previously held roles in field engineering, service delivery, and customer support at organizations including Huawei, IBM, Tech Mahindra, and Zenith Bank.
Clifford is PMP-certified and holds a Bachelor’s in Information Technology, as well as several industry certifications from Microsoft, VMware, and Amazon.
Dzigbodi Amekoudi oversees company business in Benin and the countries in French West Africa. As Country Manager, his primary responsibility is business development, which involves helping to define and introduce the right go-to-market strategies and making sure our business operates profitably in the territory. He’s also responsible for establishing operating budgets and managing company employees in his region.
During his tenure, Dzigbodi has led Apotica’s expansion into other countries including Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry, Mali, and Niger. Additionally, he works with our technical services leads to ensure successful post-sales delivery of customer projects.
Dzigbodi started his career in engineering and project management, before joining Apotica as a key accounts manager in January 2020.
He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Telecommunications from Ghana Technology University College and a Master of Science degree in International Management from Franklin University Switzerland. He’s a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.
Emmanuel Nketia is responsible for managing all sales functions at Apotica and oversees other departments, including marketing, operations, and client renewals. An excellent salesman and negotiator, he brings with him 20 years of experience in logistics, accounting, business development, and customer relationship management.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. He’s also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, and an MBA Marketing candidate at the University of Ghana Business School.
Emmanuel has attended the Executive Education course in Strategic Management from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands and participated in other leadership seminars in the USA.
At Apotica, we are on a mission to help clients grow and serve their customers better. As CEO, Felix Nkansah works closely with our Sales, Services, and Operations leadership to identify customer and industry transitions and determine our strategies to address them.
Felix joined Apotica in January 2017 and brings more than 18 years of experience across executive leadership, systems engineering, customer support, and sales functions with some regional conglomerates and information technology companies.
He has a background in computer science and holds expert-level professional certifications in networking, security, and systems design.